Bible Strands
Ecclesiastes 1:18
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The author addresses his readers after deliberately investigating wisdom and folly, recording his conclusion at the close of that inquiry. He speaks from the moment of completing his study, noting that his pursuit yielded no lasting profit.
The words — The Hebrew כּעַס (ka‘as) literally means frustration or vexation, paired with יוֹסִיף (yosif), meaning to increase or add. These terms frame the direct correlation between growing knowledge and escalating grief.
The thread — The tension between human knowledge and divine wisdom appears in Job 28:28 and Ecclesiastes 12:12, where excessive study is noted as wearying. Paul echoes this dynamic in 1 Corinthians 3:18 by warning against self-deception regarding worldly wisdom.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that intellectual accumulation does not guarantee emotional or spiritual relief. It requires readers to measure the practical cost of their pursuits against their expected outcomes.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Cross-references
- Job 28:28 And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
- Ecclesiastes 12:12 And by these, my son, be further warned: There is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body.
- 1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.
- Ecclesiastes 7:16 Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
- Ecclesiastes 2:23 Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
- James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
- Ecclesiastes 2:15 So I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being wise?” And I said to myself that this too is futile.